Solar Powered shed

[AliceSheperd]

Has anyone had any success with a purely solar powered heated shed for your sulcate? UK based. Thanks

 

[JoesMum]

Basking and heat lamps are necessarily high wattage . You will need a proper solar installation on your roof to power them, not little panels that you nail to a wall. You will also need battery storage to run everything at night. Sulcatas require heat 24/7/365.

Realistically, here in the UK with our weather you are going to need to get a solar installation for your home and accept that it reduces the costs of running it including your tortoise accommodatio.

 

[Markw84]

Heat and solar is normally a tough mix with heating a night house. Heat requires a good amount of electricity - so pretty decent size solar needed. Then most heat is needed at night, so a good battery system to store and release energy is needed. You are talking an expensive proposition.

 

[Tom]

I agree with Joe's Mum and Mark. There is no sun at times when you need the most heat. Night and cold winter days. I don't know a practical way to make a small independent solar system produce enough power for the amount of heat you need to generate.

I have solar on my house. The meter runs backward all day and then I use power from the "grid" at night or on dark winter days.

 

[Jan A]

I agree with Joe's Mum and Mark. There is no sun at times when you need the most heat. Night and cold winter days. I don't know a practical way to make a small independent solar system produce enough power for the amount of heat you need to generate.

I have solar on my house. The meter runs backward all day and then I use power from the "grid" at night or on dark winter days.

We use solar panels at Lake Powell when we camp (5th wheel) off grid with an inverter system & big golf cart batteries. You can run basic electrical needs like lights, fans, tv, coffee maker most of the night, but if you need to microwave, air conditioning or make ice, you have to use your generator. And if you have no sun,...

 

[Tom]

We use solar panels at Lake Powell when we camp (5th wheel) off grid with an inverter system & big golf cart batteries. You can run basic electrical needs like lights, fans, tv, coffee maker most of the night, but if you need to microwave, air conditioning or make ice, you have to use your generator. And if you have no sun,...

That's been my experience too.

With a mini radiant oil filled heater, you are pulling 700 watts. Similar to a microwave. Admittedly, this doesn't run all night long in a well built insulated box, but that is pulling a lot of power when it is running. With a heat mat/RHP combo you'd be pulling only around 160 watts, but it will also be on most of the night on a cold night.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yep. Agree with everything the other posters have stated regarding the use of solar power to heat (or cool) an area. Heating up or cooling down areas requires a ton of energy. I have a small DIY system, with battery storage system, but only used for internet back-up, phone charging, simple lighting and fans.

This guy here on YT provides a ton of good info on DIY solar power systems.

 

[wellington]

That's been my experience too.

With a mini radiant oil filled heater, you are pulling 700 watts. Similar to a microwave. Admittedly, this doesn't run all night long in a well built insulated box, but that is pulling a lot of power when it is running. With a heat mat/RHP combo you'd be pulling only around 160 watts, but it will also be on most of the night on a cold night.

And actually in the cold snowy areas, my size oil filled heater is 1500 watts broken down in 600 and 900 if you turn one switch on. I need both switches in and the full 1500 watts. Sometimes I even run two of those heaters when we get below zero.

 

[Tom]

And actually in the cold snowy areas, my size oil filled heater is 1500 watts broken down in 600 and 900 if you turn one switch on. I need both switches in and the full 1500 watts. Sometimes I even run two of those heaters when we get below zero.

I use those full size ones to heat my reptile room, but I only use the mini ones in my night boxes. You are right though. If the OP is heating a larger shed instead of a night box, then they'd need even more power than what I was referring to.